When eight-year-old boys from aristocratic families went to live in schools, what did their sisters do at that time?
  They learned to count and write first with the nannies, and then with the governesses. For several hours a day, yawning and bored, looking longingly out the window, they spent in the room reserved for classes, thinking about the fine weather for riding. In the room was a table or desk for a student and governess, a bookcase with books, and sometimes a black board. The entrance to the study room was often directly from the nursery.

“My governess, her name was Miss Blackburn, was very pretty, but terribly strict! Extremely strict! I was afraid of her like fire! In the summer, my lessons began at six in the morning, and at seven in the winter, and if I came later, I paid a penny for every five minutes late. Breakfast was at eight in the morning, always the same, a bowl of milk with bread and nothing more until I became a teenager. I still can not stand either one or the other, We did not study only half a day on Sunday and the whole day in the name day. There was a pantry in the classroom, where books for classes were kept. Miss Blackburn put a piece of bread for her lunch on the same plate. Every time I couldn’t remember something, or didn’t listen, or objected to something, she locked me in this pantry, where I sat in the dark and trembled with fear. I was especially afraid that a mouse would come running to eat Miss Blackburn's bread. In my confinement I remained until, suppressing sobs, I could calmly say that now I am good. "Miss Blackburn made me memorize pages of history or long poems, and if I was mistaken at least a word, she made me teach twice as much!”

If the nannies were always adored, then poor governesses were rarely loved. It may be because the nannies chose their fate voluntarily and stayed with the family until the end of their days, and the governesses always became by the will of the circumstances. In this profession, most often educated girls from the middle class, the daughters of moneyless professors and clerks, were forced to work to help a bankrupt family and earn a dowry. Sometimes governesses were forced to become the daughters of aristocrats who had lost their fortune. For such girls, humiliation from their position was an obstacle for them to get at least some pleasure from their work. They were very lonely, and the servants did their best to express their contempt for them. The more generous the poor governess's family was, the worse they treated her.

The servant believed that if a woman was forced to work, then she was equated in her position with them, and did not want to look after her, diligently demonstrating her neglect. If the poor thing settled in a family in which there were no aristocratic roots, then the owners, suspecting that she looked down on them and despised for the lack of proper manners, did not like her and tolerated only so that their daughters learned to keep themselves in society.

In addition to teaching their daughters languages, playing the piano and watercolor, parents cared little about deep knowledge. The girls read a lot, but they didn’t choose moralizing books, but romance novels, which were quietly harassed from the home library. They went down to the common dining room only for lunch, where they sat at a separate table with their governess. Tea with pastries at five o'clock went upstairs to the study room. After that, the children did not receive any food until the next morning.

“We were allowed to spread bread with butter or jam, but never both, and eat only one serving of cheesecakes or muffins, which we washed down with plenty of fresh milk. When we were fifteen or sixteen, we already lacked this amount of food and we constantly went to bed hungry. After we heard that the governess went into her room, carrying a tray with a large portion of dinner, we slowly went barefoot down the back stairs to the kitchen, knowing that there was no one there at that time, because loud conversation and laughter were heard from the room, where did the servants eat. Sneakily we scored what we could and the contented ones returned to the bedrooms. ”

Often, French and German were invited as governesses to teach daughters French and German. “Once we walked along with Mademoiselle along the street and met my mother’s friends. On the same day, they wrote her a letter saying that my prospects for marriage were being jeopardized because the ignorant governess was dressed in brown shoes, not black. “Honey,” they wrote, “cocottes walk in brown shoes. What can they think of cute Betty if such a mentor watches over her!”

Lady Hartwitch (Betty) was the younger sister of Lady Twendolen, who married Jack Churchill. When she entered age, then
  was invited to hunt rather far from home. To get to the place, she had to use the railway. Early in the morning she was led to the station by the groom, who was obliged to meet her here that very evening. Further, with the luggage that made up all the equipment for hunting, she rode in a stall car with her horse. It was considered quite normal and acceptable that the young girl travels, sitting on a straw, with her horse, since it was believed that he would be her protection and kick anyone who entered the stall. However, if she was unaccompanied in a passenger carriage with the whole audience, among which there could be men, society would condemn such a girl.

In strollers pulled by small ponies, the girls could ride alone outside the estate, visiting their girlfriends. Sometimes the path lay through the forest and fields. The absolute freedom that the young ladies enjoyed on the estates disappeared instantly as soon as they entered the city. Conventions awaited them here at every step. “I was allowed to ride alone through the forest and field alone in the dark, but if I wanted to walk through a park in central London in the morning, full of walking people to meet my friend, they would immediately put a maid to me.”

For three months, while parents and older daughters were spinning around in society, the younger ones on their top floor, together with the governess, were repeating the lessons.

One of the famous and very expensive governesses, Miss Wolfe, opened in 1900 for girls classes that worked before the Second World War. “I myself visited them when I was 16, and therefore, by personal example, I know what was the best education for girls at that time. Miss Wolfe had previously taught the best aristocratic families and, in the end, inherited a sufficient amount to buy a large house on South Adley Street Mater. In one part, she arranged classes for selected girls. She learned the best ladies of our high society, and I can safely say that I myself have gained a lot from this beautifully organized mess in her educational process. For three hours in the morning, we, girls and girls of different ages, met at a long table in our cozy study room, the former living room in this elegant 18th-century mansion. Miss Wolfe, a small, fragile woman with huge glasses that made her look like a dragonfly, explained to us the subject that we had to study that day, then went to the bookcases and took out books for each of us. At the end of the classes a discussion was arranged, sometimes we wrote essays on topics in history, literature, and geography. One of our girls wanted to study Spanish, and Miss Wolfe instantly set about teaching her grammar. There seemed to be no subject that she did not know! But her most important talent was that she knew how to kindle the fire in her young heads of a thirst for knowledge and curiosity for the subjects studied. "She taught us to find interesting things in everything. She had many friends of men who sometimes came to our school, and we got a point of view on the subject of the opposite sex."

In addition to the listed lessons, the girls also studied dancing, music, needlework and social skills. In many schools, as a test before admission, the task was to sew a button or to sew a buttonhole. However, a similar picture was observed only in England. Russian and German girls were much more educated (according to Lady Hartrich) and knew perfectly three or four languages, and in France the girls were more sophisticated in their behavior.

How difficult it is now for our free-thinking generation, which is practically not subject to public opinion, to understand that just a little over a hundred years ago it was this opinion that determined the fate of a person, especially girls. It is also impossible for a generation that has grown beyond class and class boundaries to imagine a world in which insurmountable restrictions and barriers arose at every step. Girls from good families were never allowed to remain alone with a man, even for several minutes in the living room of their own home. In society, they were convinced that if a man was alone with the girl, he would immediately harass her. These were the conventions of the time. Men were in search of sacrifice and prey, and the girls fenced off from those who wished to pick the flower of innocence.

All Victorian mothers were very concerned about the latter circumstance, and in order to prevent rumors about their daughters, who often broke up in order to eliminate a happier rival, they did not let them go and controlled their every move. Girls and young women, moreover, were under constant surveillance from the side of the servants. The maids woke them up, dressed, served at the table, the young ladies made morning visits accompanied by a footman and the groom, were at the balls or in the theater with their mothers and matchmakers, and in the evening, when they returned home, sleepy maids stripped them. Poor little ones were left almost alone. If miss (an unmarried lady) slipped away from her maid, matchmaker, sister and acquaintances for only an hour, then dirty assumptions were already made that something could happen. From that moment on, the applicants for a hand and heart seemed to evaporate.

Beatrice Potter - the beloved English children's writer in her memoirs recalled how she once went to the theater with her family. She was 18 years old at that time, and she lived in London all her life. However, near Buckingham Palace, the parliament building, Strand and Monument - famous places in the city center, which could not be passed, she never was. “It is amazing to state that this was the first time in my life! She wrote in her memoirs. “After all, if I could, I would love to walk here alone, without waiting for someone to accompany me!”

At the same time, Bella Wilfer, from Dickens’s book, “Our Common Friend,” traveled alone through the city from Oxford Street to Hollowen Prison (more than three miles), according to the author, “as if the crow was flying”, and no one I didn’t think it was strange. One evening, she went to look for her father in the city center and was noticed only because there were only a few women in the financial district on the street at that time. Strange, two girls of the same age, and so differently related to one question: can they go out alone on the street? Of course, Bella Wilfer is a fictional character, and Beatrice Potter actually lived, but the fact is that there were different rules for different classes. Poor girls were much freer in their movements due to the fact that there was no one to follow them and accompany them wherever they went. And if they worked as a servant or in a factory, then they made the way there and back alone and no one thought it was indecent. The higher the status of a woman, the more rules and decencies she was entangled with.

An unmarried American, who came with her aunt to England to visit relatives, was supposed to return home for inheritance. My aunt, who was afraid of a repeated long voyage, did not go with her. When six months later the girl reappeared in British society, she was received very coldly by all the important ladies on whom public opinion depended. After the girl independently made such a long journey, they did not consider her virtuous enough for her circle, suggesting that, being unattended, she could do something unlawful. Marriage to a young American was put at risk. Fortunately, possessing a flexible mind, she did not reproach the ladies for the out-of-date views and prove to them that they were wrong, but instead for several months she showed exemplary behavior and, having proved herself in society from the right side, possessing a pleasant appearance, very successfully got married.

Having become a countess, she quickly silenced all the gossipers who still had a desire to discuss her "dark past."

The wife had to obey and obey her husband in everything, as well as the children. A man must be strong, decisive, businesslike and fair, since he was responsible for the whole family. Here is an example of an ideal woman: “There was something inexplicably tender in her image. I will never allow myself to raise my voices or just speak loudly and quickly with her, afraid to frighten her and hurt her! Such a delicate flower should eat only love! ”

Tenderness, silence, ignorance of life were typical features of the ideal bride. If a girl read a lot and, God forbid, not etiquette manuals, not religious or classical literature, not biographies of famous artists and musicians, or other decent publications, if she saw in her hands Darwin's book “On the Origin of Species” or similar scientific works, it looked just as bad in the eyes of society, as if it had been seen reading a French novel. After all, an intelligent wife, having read such a "nasty thing," would begin to express ideas to her husband, and he would not only feel dumber than she, but could not keep her in check. This is how the unmarried girl, Molly Hages, from a poor family, who herself had to earn a living, writes about this. Being a hat milliner and having lost her job, she went to Cornwall to her cousin, who was afraid of her, considering her modern. “After some time, my cousin gave me a compliment:“ They told us that you are smart. And you are not at all! ””

In the language of the XIX century, this meant that, it turns out, you are a worthy girl with whom I will be friends with pleasure. Moreover, it was expressed by a girl from the backwoods to a girl that she came from the capital - a breeding ground for vice. These words of the cousin made Molly think how she should behave: “I must hide the fact that I got an education and worked myself, and even more hide my interest in books, paintings and politics. Soon, with all my heart, I gave myself up to gossip about love affairs and "to what extent some girls can reach" is a favorite topic of local society. At the same time, I found it quite convenient for myself to seem somewhat strange. This was not considered a vice or disadvantage. Knowledge was what I had to hide from everyone! ”

The already mentioned girl from America, Sarah Duncan, remarked bitterly: “In England, an unmarried girl of my age should not talk much ... It was rather difficult for me to accept this, but later I understood and what was the matter. I need to keep my opinions to myself. I began to speak rarely, little and found that the best topic that suits everyone is the zoo. No one will blame me if I'm talking about animals. ”

Also a great topic for conversation is opera. The opera Hilbert and Sillivan was considered very popular at that time. In Gissing's work entitled Women in Confusion, the hero visited the girlfriend of an emancipated woman:

"- What, is this new opera" Schlberg and Sillivan "really so good? He asked her.
  - Highly! Have you really not seen yet?
  - No! I am really ashamed to admit it!
  “Go tonight.” Unless, of course, you get free space. Which part of the theater do you prefer?
  “I am a poor man, as you know.” I have to be satisfied with a cheap place. ”
  A few more questions and answers - a typical mixture of commonplace and intense insolence, and the hero, peering into the face of the interlocutor, could not resist a smile. “Is it not true, our conversation would have been approved over traditional tea at five o’clock. The same dialogue I heard yesterday in the living room! ”

Such communication with conversations about anything led someone to despair, but most were quite happy.

Until 17-18 years old girls were considered invisible. They attended the parties, but did not have the right to say a word until someone addressed them. And then their answers should be very brief. They seemed to have an understanding that the girl was noticed only out of politeness. Parents continued to dress their daughters in similar simple dresses so that they did not attract the attention of grooms who were destined for their older sisters. No one dared to jump over the turn, as happened with the younger sister of Eliza Bennett in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. When their time finally arrived, all attention at once turned to a blossoming flower, the parents dressed the girl in all the best so that she would take a worthy place among the first brides of the country and be able to attract the attention of profitable suitors.

Each girl, entering the light, experienced terrible excitement! After all, from that moment she became noticeable. She was no longer
a child who, stroking the head, was sent from the hall where the adults were. Theoretically, she was prepared for this, but practically she did not have the slightest experience how to behave in such a situation. Indeed, at this time, the idea of \u200b\u200bevenings for youth did not exist at all, as well as entertainment for children. Balls and receptions were given for the nobility, for royalty, for guests of the parents, and the young were only allowed to attend these events.

Many girls sought to marry only because they considered their own mother to be the worst of evils, saying that it was ugly to sit with their legs crossed. They really had no idea about life, and this was considered their great merit. Experience was seen as bad form and almost equated with bad reputation. No man would like to marry a girl with a bold, as was believed, a bold outlook on life. Innocence and modesty - these are the features that were highly valued by Victorians in young virgins. Even the colors of their dresses, when they went to the ball, were surprisingly uniform - different shades of white (symbol of innocence). Before marriage, they did not wear jewelry and could not wear bright dresses.

What a contrast with the spectacular ladies, dressed in the best outfits, traveling in the best crews, cheerfully and uninhibitedly hosting guests in richly furnished houses. When mothers went out with their daughters, in order to avoid an explanation of who these beautiful ladies were, they forced the girls to turn away. The young lady should not have known anything about this "secret" side of life. That big blow was for her when, after marriage, she discovered that she was not interested in her husband and that he prefers to spend time in a company of similar cocottes. Here is how their Dale and Telegraph journalist describes them:

“I watched the sylphs when they flew or swam in their delightful suits for trips and intoxicatingly beautiful hats, some in beaver hunting fluttering veils, others in flirty cavalry with green feathers. And while this magnificent cavalcade passed by, the mischievous wind slightly lifted their skirts, exposing small boots that encircled the leg, with a military heel, or tight-fitting riding trousers. ”

How much excitement at the sight of dressed legs, much more than now at the sight of naked!

Not only the whole structure of life was built in such a way as to preserve morality, but also clothes were an inevitable barrier to vice, because the girl was wearing up to fifteen layers of lower shirts, skirts, bodices and corsets, which she could not get rid of without the help of a maid. Even if we assume that her gentleman was sophisticated in lingerie and could help her, then most of the date would be spent on getting rid of her clothes and then pulling her on again. At the same time, the maid's experienced eye would instantly see problems in her lower skirts and shirts, and the secret would still be revealed.

Months and even years passed in Victorian time between the emergence of sympathy for each other, which began with trembling eyelashes, timid looks that lingered a little longer on the subject of interest, sighs, a slight blush, a fast heartbeat, excitement in the chest, and a decisive explanation. From that moment, everything depended on whether the applicant for the hand and heart liked the girl’s parents. If not, then they tried to pick her another candidate who meets the basic criteria of that time: title, respectability (or public opinion) and money. Having interested in the future chosen one of the daughter, who could be several times older than her and causing disgust, her parents reassured her that she could endure and fall in love. In such a situation, she was attracted by the opportunity to quickly become a widow, especially if the spouse left a will in her favor.

If the girl did not marry and lived with her parents, then most often she was a captive in her own house, where she continued to be treated as a minor who did not have her own opinion and desires. After the death of the father and mother, the inheritance was most often left to the elder brother, and she, having no means of livelihood, moved to live in his family, where she was always put in last place. Servants surrounded her at the table, her brother's wife commanded her, and again she was completely dependent. If there were no brothers, then the girl, after her parents left this world, moved to her sister's family, because it was believed that an unmarried girl, even if she was an adult, was not able to take care of herself. It was even worse, since in this case her brother-in-law, that is, a stranger, decided her fate. When she married, the woman ceased to be the mistress of her own money, which was given for her in a dowry. The husband could drink them, skip, lose or give his mistress, and the wife could not even blame him, as this would have been condemned in society. Of course, she could be lucky and her beloved husband could be lucky in business and reckon with her opinion, then life really passed in happiness and peace. But if he turned out to be a tyrant and a tyrant, all that was left was to wait for his death and be afraid to simultaneously be left without money and a roof over his head.

To get the right groom, did not hesitate to any means. Here is a sketch from a popular play that Lord Ernest himself wrote and often staged in his home theater:

  “A rich house on the estate, where Hilda, sitting in her own bedroom in front of the mirror, combes her hair after an event that occurred during a game of hide and seek. Her mother, Lady Dragon, enters.
  Lady Dragoy. Well, what have you done, dear!
  Hilda. What are you doing, mom?
  Lady Dragon (mockingly). What matters! To sit all night with a man in a closet and not make him make an offer!
  Hilda, Not all night, but just shortly before dinner.
  Lady Dragon. It is the same!
  Hilda. Well, what could I do, mom?
  Lady Dragon. Do not pretend to be a fool! You could do a thousand things! Did he kiss you?
  Hilda. Yes mom!
  Lady Dragon. And you just sat like an idiot and let you kiss yourself for an hour?
  Hilda (sobbing). Well, you yourself said that I should not resist Lord Pati. And if he wants to kiss me, then I must allow it.
  Lady Dragon. You really are a real fool! But why didn’t you cry when the prince found you two in his wardrobe?
Hilda. Why should I scream?
  Lady Dragon. You have no brains at all! Don't you know that as soon as you heard the sound of footsteps, you should have shouted: "Help! Help! Help! Get your hands off me, sir!" Or something like that. Then he would have been forced to marry you!
  Hilda. Mom, but you never told me that!
  Lady Dragon. Oh god Well, it's so natural! You should have guessed it yourself! As I explain to my father now ... Well, fine. It is useless to talk with a brainless chicken!
  A maid enters with a note on a tray.
  Maid. My lady, a letter to Miss Hilda!
  Hilda (after reading the note). Mum! This is Lord Party! He asks me to marry him!
  Lady Dragoy (kissing daughter). My dear, dear girl! You have no idea how happy I am! I always said that you’re smart! ”

The above passage shows another contradiction of its time. Lady Dragon did not see anything reprehensible in the fact that the daughter, contrary to all Standards of conduct, was alone with a man for an hour! Yes, and in the closet! And all this because they played a very common home game of "hide and seek", where the rules were not only allowed, but also prescribed to scatter, breaking up into pairs, as the girls could be scared of dark rooms, lit only by oil lamps and candles. In this case, hiding was allowed anywhere, even in the owner’s closet, as was the case in the above case.

With the beginning of the season, there was a revival in the world, and if the girl did not find a husband last year, her excited mother could change her matchmaker and start hunting for grooms again. Moreover, the age of the matchmaker did not matter. Sometimes she was even younger and more playful than the treasure that she offered and at the same time carefully guarded. Retiring to the conservatory was allowed only for the purpose of offering a marriage.

If a girl during dancing disappeared for 10 minutes, then in the eyes of society she already noticeably lost her value, so the matchmaker during the ball relentlessly turned her head in all directions so that her ward remained in sight. The girls so sat dancing on a well-lit sofa or in a row of chairs set, and young people came up to them to sign up for a ballroom book for a specific dance number.

Two dances in a row with the same gentleman attracted the attention of everyone, and the matchmakers began to whisper about the engagement. Three in a row was allowed only to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.

And of course it was completely unacceptable for the ladies to make visits to the gentleman, with the exception of very important matters. Every now and then in the English literature of that time, examples are cited: “She knocked nervously and immediately regretted it and looked around, afraid to see suspicion or ridicule in passing respectable matrons. She had doubts, because a lonely girl should not visit a lonely man. She pulled herself together, straightened up and knocked again more confidently. The gentleman was her manager, and she really needed to urgently speak with him. "

However, all conventions ended where poverty reigned. What kind of supervision could be for girls who were forced to earn a piece of bread. Did anyone think that they alone walked along the dark streets, looking for a drunken father, and in the service no one cared that the maid was left alone in the room with the owner. The moral standards for the lower class were completely different, although here the main thing was considered to be that the girl took care of herself and did not cross the last line.

Those born in poor families worked to exhaustion and could not resist when, for example, the owner of the store in which they served incited them to cohabit. They could not refuse, even knowing what fate befell many others who had previously worked in the same place. The addiction was terrible. Refusing, the girl lost her place and was doomed to spend long weeks, or even months, in search of a new one. And if the last money was paid for housing, it means she had nothing to eat, she could fall into a hungry faint at any time, but she was in a hurry to find work, otherwise she could lose her roof over her head.

And imagine, if at the same time she had to feed the elderly parents and little sisters! She had no choice but to sacrifice herself for their sake! For many poor girls, this could be a way out of poverty if it were not for children born out of wedlock who changed everything in their position. At the slightest hint of pregnancy, the lover left them, sometimes without any means of subsistence. Even if he helped for a while, all the same, the money ran out very quickly, and the parents who had previously encouraged their daughter to feed the whole family with the money earned in this way, now, without receiving more money, dishonored her daily and showered with curses. All the gifts that she had received from a rich lover before this were eaten. Shame and humiliation awaited her at every turn. It was impossible for a pregnant woman to get a job - that means she was seated with an extra mouth on the neck of an already poor family, and after the birth of the baby there were constant worries who would look after him while she was at work.

And still, even knowing all the circumstances, before the temptation to hide from oppressive poverty for at least some time, open the curtain to a completely different joyful, elegant world, walk down the street in outfits that are stunning in their beauty and high cost and look down on people from whom there are so many years, work depended, and therefore life, it was almost impossible to resist! To some extent, it was their chance, which they would regret in any case, accepting it or rejecting it.

The statistics were inexorable. For every former saleswoman from the store who proudly took care of an apartment in an expensive outfit that her lover rented for her, there were hundreds whose life was broken for the same reason. A man could lie about his status, or intimidate, or bribe, or take by force, there are few ways in which resistance can be broken. But, having achieved his goal, he most often remained indifferent to what would happen to the poor girl, who would definitely bore him. Can the poor thing arrange her life? How will she recover from the shame that fell upon her? Will she die of grief and humiliation or will she be able to survive? What will happen to their common child? The former lover, the culprit of her shame, now shunned the unfortunate one and, as if afraid of getting dirty, turned away, making it clear that there could be nothing in common between him and this dirty girl. She can also be a thief! Cabman, touch! ”

The situation of the poor illegitimate child was even worse. Even if his father provided financial assistance until he came of age, then even then every minute of his life he felt that he did not want his birth and that he was not like the others. Still not understanding the word illegitimate, he already knew that it had a shameful meaning, and all his life he could not wash himself off from the mud.

Mr. William Whiteley coaxed all his saleswomen to cohabitation and threw them when they were pregnant. When one of his illegitimate sons grew up, then, having a burning hatred for his father, he once came to the store and shot him. In 1886, Lord Kzrlingford wrote in his journal after walking through a main street in Mayfair after dinner: “It is strange to walk through the ranks of women who silently offer their bodies to passing men.” This was the result of almost all the poor girls who, using the terminology of the 19th century, "plunged themselves into the abyss of debauchery." Cruel time did not forgive those who neglected public opinion. The Victorian world was divided into only two colors: white and black! Either virtuous to the point of absurdity, or depraved! Moreover, the latter category could be ranked, as we saw above, just because of the wrong color of the shoes, because of flirting in front of everyone with a gentleman during the dance, but who knows why the young girls were awarded the stigma of old virgins, that, clenching their lips into a thin thread, watched the youth at the balls.

Text by Tatyana Dittrich (from the book "Everyday Life of Victorian England").

Reproductions paintings by James Tissot (James Tissot).

New avatars "English ladies" (the size 150 * 150 px, which is ideal for LiRu),

example:

Modern. The best works

A lot of pictures and photos of ancient dresses of the Victorian era and Art Nouveau.

Quotes from Tatiana Dittrich’s book, Everyday Life of Victorian England

The Victorian world was divided into only two colors: white and black! Either virtuous to the point of absurdity, or depraved! Moreover, it was possible to be ranked to the last category only because of the wrong color of the shoes, because of flirting in front of everyone with a gentleman during the dance, but who knows why the young girls were awarded the stigma from old maids, which, tightening their lips in a thin thread, watched the youth at the balls.

Girls and young women, moreover, were under constant surveillance from the side of the servants. The maids woke them up, dressed, served at the table, the young ladies made morning visits accompanied by a footman and the groom, were at the balls or in the theater with their mothers and matchmakers, and in the evening, when they returned home, sleepy maids stripped them. Poor little ones were left almost alone. If miss (an unmarried lady) slipped away from her maid, matchmaker, sister and acquaintances for only an hour, then dirty assumptions were already made that something could happen. From that moment on, the contenders for the hand and heart seemed to evaporate.

Good family girls were never allowed to be alone with a man, even for a few minutes in the living room of their own home. In society, they were convinced that if a man was alone with the girl, he would immediately harass her. These were the conventions of the time. Men were in search of sacrifice and prey, and the girls fenced off from those who wished to pick the flower of innocence.

Courts were supposed to have a public character, consist of ritual conversations, symbolic gestures and signs. The most common sign of location, designed specifically for prying eyes, was allowing the young man to carry a prayer book belonging to the girl upon returning from Sunday services ..

However, all conventions ended where poverty reigned. Girls born in poor families worked to exhaustion and could not resist when, for example, the owner of the store in which they served incited them to cohabit. And imagine, if at the same time she had to feed the elderly parents and little sisters! She had no choice but to sacrifice herself for their sake! For many poor girls, this could be a way out of poverty if it were not for children born out of wedlock who changed everything in their position. At the slightest hint of pregnancy, the lover left them, sometimes without any means of subsistence

In the feast, the custom of the so-called segregation of sexes was observed: at the end of the meal, the women got up and left, the men remained to smoke a cigar, skip a glass of port and talk about abstract problems and high matters ..

The statistics were inexorable. For every former saleswoman from the store who proudly took care of an apartment in an expensive outfit that her lover rented for her, there were hundreds whose life was broken for the same reason. A man could lie about his status, or intimidate, or bribe, or take by force, there are few ways in which resistance can be broken. But, having achieved his goal, he most often remained indifferent to what would happen to the poor girl, who would definitely bore him.

Open manifestations of sympathy and affection between a man and a woman, even in a harmless form, without intimacy, were strictly prohibited. The word love was completely taboo. The limit of frankness in the explanations was the password “Can I hope?” and the tip "I have to think."
.

With the beginning of the season, there was a revival in the world, and if the girl did not find a husband last year, her excited mother could change her matchmaker and begin the hunt for grooms again. Moreover, the age of the matchmaker did not matter. Sometimes she was even younger and more playful than the treasure that she offered and at the same time carefully guarded. It was allowed to retire to the winter garden only for the purpose of offering a marriage. ..

If a girl during dancing disappeared for 10 minutes, then in the eyes of society she already noticeably lost her value, so the matchmaker during the ball relentlessly turned her head in all directions so that her ward remained in sight. During the dancing, the girls sat on a well-lit sofa or in a row of chairs set up, and young people came up to them to sign up for a ballroom book for a specific dance number.

Two dances in a row with the same gentleman attracted the attention of everyone, and the matchmakers began to whisper about the engagement. Three in a row was allowed only to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria ..

And of course it was completely unacceptable for the ladies to make visits to the gentleman, with the exception of very important matters. Every now and then in the English literature of that time, examples are cited: “She knocked nervously and immediately regretted it and looked around, afraid to see suspicion or ridicule in passing respectable matrons. She had doubts, because a lonely girl should not visit a lonely man. She pulled herself together, straightened up and knocked again more confidently. The gentleman was her manager, and she really needed to urgently speak with him. "

Months and even years passed in Victorian time between the emergence of sympathy for each other, which began with trembling eyelashes, timid looks that lingered a little longer on the subject of interest, sighs, a slight blush, a fast heartbeat, excitement in the chest, and a decisive explanation. From that moment, everything depended on whether the applicant for the hand and heart liked the girl’s parents. If not, then they tried to pick her another candidate who meets the basic criteria of that time: title, respectability (or public opinion) and money. Having interested in the future chosen one of the daughter, who could be several times older than her and causing disgust, her parents reassured her that she could endure and fall in love. In such a situation, she was attracted by the opportunity to quickly become a widow, especially if the spouse left a will in her favor

Months and even years passed in Victorian time between the emergence of sympathy for each other, which began with trembling eyelashes, timid looks that lingered a little longer on the subject of interest, sighs, a slight blush, a fast heartbeat, excitement in the chest, and a decisive explanation. From that moment, everything depended on whether the applicant for the hand and heart liked the girl’s parents. If not, then they tried to pick her another candidate who meets the basic criteria of that time: title, respectability (or public opinion) and money. Having interested in the future chosen one of the daughter, who could be several times older than her and causing disgust, her parents reassured her that she could endure and fall in love. In such a situation, she was attracted by the opportunity to quickly become a widow, especially if the spouse left a will in her favor.

If the girl did not marry and lived with her parents, then most often she was a captive in her own house, where she continued to be treated as a minor who did not have her own opinion and desires. After the death of the father and mother, the inheritance was most often left to the elder brother, and she, having no means of livelihood, moved to live in his family, where she was always put in last place. Servants surrounded her at the table, her brother's wife commanded her, and again she was completely dependent. If there were no brothers, then the girl, after her parents left this world, moved to her sister's family, because it was believed that an unmarried girl, even if she was an adult, was not able to take care of herself. It was even worse, since in this case her brother-in-law, that is, a stranger, decided her fate. When she married, the woman ceased to be the mistress of her own money, which was given for her in a dowry. .

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Times have changed. To look for Victorian features in the life of modern Britain is the same as offering the Englishman to study the life of modern Russia based on the novels of Turgenev and Dostoevsky. But there was a sign that the wedding should be something old, new, borrowed and blue ("something old andsomething new, something borrowed and something blue").

This omen began in Victorian times and since then many brides have been trying to dress in accordance with tradition. Something old symbolizes a connection with the bride's family, peace and wisdom in marriage. Many brides put on some old family jewel. Something new symbolizes the luck and success of the new life of the bride. Something borrowed reminds the bride that her friends and family members will always be there, if their help is needed, this thing can be taken from a married woman who is happily married with a blessing for a good family life. Something blue this (both among the Gentiles and Christians) means love, modesty, loyalty. This is usually a garter.

In Victorian England, a woman who wore makeup was considered a prostitute. And although a pale complexion and bright red lips were popular even before Queen Victoria came to power, the ruler called such makeup “vulgar”. This prompted most English women to abandon him and try something more natural.

As a result, in the 1800s, a huge number of inventions appeared that emphasized the natural beauty of women, but many of them mutilated the bodies of the fair sex or slowly killed them with pesticides.

1. Face whitening

In the 1800s, women sought to have an extremely pale complexion. Representatives of the upper class thereby wanted to show that they are rich enough not to work under the scorching sun. They tried to make their skin so pale and “transparent” that others could clearly see the veins on their faces. In the Victorian era, people were obsessed with death, so they considered it attractive when a woman had an unhealthy appearance.

In one of the books of the Victorian era, women were recommended to apply a small amount of opium from lettuce leaves on their skin at night and wash with ammonia in the morning to always look fresh and pale. To remove freckles and age spots, as well as traces of tanning, it was recommended to use arsenic, which, according to representatives of the Victorian era, helped to look younger and more attractive. They knew that arsenic is poisonous and addictive, but they consciously used it to achieve their ideal of beauty.

2. Burning hair

In the 1800s, curly hair was in fashion. The first curling irons were tongs that needed to be heated on fire. If a woman was in a hurry to attach a red-hot curling iron to her hair, she had to say goodbye to them: they instantly burned.

As a result, baldness has become a common problem among women in the Victorian era. But even if they skillfully used curling irons, the constant wearing of hairstyles from curls adversely affected the scalp.

In order to deal with hair problems, women tried various remedies, including teas and medicines. Some of them washed their hair in water with ammonia solution to stimulate hair growth. Ammonia, as you know, can burn the airways and skin. He also eats up his eyes.

To combat baldness, women were recommended to use a mixture of equal parts of quinine sulfate and aromatic tincture. To prevent all these problems, they were advised to avoid direct contact of the curling irons with hair, which many realized too late.

3. Blood purification

In the Victorian era, many people died of consumption (tuberculosis of the lungs), and society was terribly carried away by death. The complexion of people who only fell ill with consumption was considered the most pleasant and beautiful. Women with pulmonary tuberculosis constantly vomited blood, but this was considered normal. Representatives of the Victorian era claimed that in this way the body was cleansed of dirt, due to which the skin became clean and pale.

During the illness, women were advised to eat as little as possible: a handful of strawberries for breakfast, half an orange for lunch and sweet cherry for dinner. If they felt that this was not enough for them to maintain strength, they could drink a little warm broth.

Victorian beauty experts advised women to apply ammonium carbonate and powdered charcoal to their skin to preserve their beauty. In addition, they were advised to take various medications every three months in order to “purify” the blood, although in fact they were ill because they wanted to look painfully pale.

4. Devices for correcting the shape of the nose

During the Victorian era, many men and women were unhappy with their physical characteristics, as were modern people. Many years before the advent of plastic surgery, there were many different companies that produced devices for correcting the shape of the nose. These metal devices were tied to a person’s face to make the soft cartilage of the nose smaller or straighter than they were before.

Devices for correcting the shape of the nose have not lost their popularity even after many years. Hezar Bigg invented a spring-loaded contraption with straps that helped hold a metal “mask” on a person’s face while he was sleeping or doing any business during the day. With the help of her nose eventually took a more attractive form.

Dr. Cid, a Parisian surgeon from the Victorian era, told his English colleagues that he had created a metal spring-loaded fixture that corrected the large nose of his fifteen-year-old patient in just three months.

5. Eating tapeworms

In the Victorian era, corsets were very popular, designed to make the female waist as thin as possible. To lose weight, some women intentionally swallowed the eggs of the tapeworm (tapeworm). These slippery little creatures hatched inside the stomach and devoured everything the woman ate. Having achieved the goal associated with losing weight, she took pills in order to withdraw the tapeworm. In the Victorian era, it was believed that the worm would crawl out independently if you sit with your mouth open in front of a bowl of milk. However, as you know, the length of tapeworms can reach 9 meters, therefore, even if this method turned out to be effective, a person could suffocate in the process.

Dr. Meyers from Sheffield (a city in England) invented a device designed to extract tapeworms from the patient’s stomach. It was a metal cylinder filled with food. He was pushed into the throat of an infected person who was forbidden to eat for several days. This was necessary in order to lure the tapeworm into a cylinder, which was subsequently removed from the patient’s stomach with it inside. Unfortunately, many of those who turned to Meyers for help died of asphyxiation during this strange procedure.

6. Deadly eye drops with belladonna

In addition to a pale complexion, women with pulmonary tuberculosis also had dilated pupils and watery eyes. In the Victorian era, English women with large pupils were considered very beautiful. To achieve this effect, they used eye drops with belladonna.

Belladonna is one of the most poisonous plants in the world. If a person eats a couple of berries or a leaf of belladonna, he may die. In small doses, plant poison can cause intestinal irritation, rash, swelling, and even blindness. Women of the Victorian era knew about this, but still continued to use the means in which the poisonous belladonna was contained.

Queen Victoria used belladonna eye drops to get rid of cataracts. They dilated the pupils, so it seemed to the queen that her vision was improving. For this reason, she continued to use them and refused to do the operation.

7. Hazardous oral hygiene products

Victorian beauty experts recommended ingesting a teaspoon of ammonia dissolved in water inside for fresh breath and to prevent tooth decay (especially for those suffering from acid reflux). Toothpaste was replaced by powder from stale bread or charcoal for people living at that time.

To relieve toothache, people took cocaine-based pills, which were sold in every pharmacy. They were also believed to be effective in treating coughs and colds.

8. The chemical way to remove body hair

In the Victorian era, unwanted hairy vegetation on the body was removed by various methods - tweezers, by shaving, rubbing the skin with gruel from wood ash, and so on.

However, not all methods were safe. In one of the books, it was recommended for women to use bleach to remove body hair (as well as bleaching the shoulders). It was advised to do this at an open window and with great care, since bleach can corrode the skin if left on it for a long time.

9. Shadows with mercury and lead

Women of the Victorian era tried not to paint their eyes so as not to look like fallen women and look natural. They paid most attention to complexion and eyebrows. However, to highlight their eyes, they applied homemade creams to their eyelids, consisting, for example, of cold cream and crushed cochineals (insects).

The shadows that were sold in stores at that time were called "eye paint." They mostly painted prostitutes or brave Victorian ladies on special days. These shadows typically included hazardous chemicals, including lead, mercury sulfide, antimony, cinnabar, and vermilion. They poisoned the body, and mercury sometimes caused insanity.

10. Bathing with arsenic

Dear friends! As a sign that we are not dead, from this day we will treat you with huge doses of texts about our beautiful Old New England, in which we are all going to live.

GM has the idea that Victorian society, permeated by neurosis (the era ended with Her Majesty Victoria in 1901) in 1909, is still alive in the minds and souls of the British, but this harsh mentality is gradually being replaced by its lightened version - Edwardianism , more refined, sophisticated, frivolous, prone to luxury and adventure. Milestones are changing slowly, but still the world (and with it the consciousness of people) is changing.

Let's look today where we all lived until 1901 and turn to history and Victorian morality. This will be our foundation, that bottom from which we will build on (and for some, the platform on which they will firmly and confidently stand).

Here you have the young Queen Victoria, who valued morality, morality and family values \u200b\u200babove all for seed.
A living person fit extremely poorly into the Victorian system of values, where each subject was supposed to have a specific set of required qualities. Therefore, hypocrisy was considered not only permissible, but also mandatory. Saying what you don’t think, smiling, if you want to sob, squander the courtesies of the people who are shaking you, is what is required of a well-educated person. People should be comfortable and comfortable in your society, and what you feel yourself is your own business. Take it all away, lock it, and it is advisable to swallow the key. Only with the closest people can one sometimes afford to move an iron mask hiding the true face by a millimeter. In return, society readily promises not to try to look inside you.

What the Victorians did not tolerate was nudity in any form - both mental and physical. And this concerned not only people, but generally any phenomena. If you have a toothpick, then there must be a case for it. A case with a toothpick should be stored in a box with a lock. The box should be hidden in a chest locked with a key. To prevent the chest of drawers from appearing too naked, cover every free centimeter with carved curls and cover them with embroidered bunnies, which, in order to avoid excessive openness, should be forced into figurines, wax flowers and other nonsense, which is desirable to cover with glass caps. The walls were hung with decorative plates, prints and paintings from top to bottom. In those places where the wallpaper still managed to indiscreetly emerge into the light of the Lord, it was clear that they were decently dotted with small bouquets, birds or coats of arms. There are carpets on the floors, smaller carpets on the carpets, the furniture is covered with bedspreads and dotted with embroidered pillows.

But the nakedness of a person, of course, should be hidden especially diligently, especially female. Victorians considered women as certain centaurs with the upper half of the body (undoubtedly God's creation), but there were doubts about the lower one. Taboo extended to everything connected with the legs. This word itself was forbidden: they were supposed to be called “limbs”, “members” and even “pedestal”. Most of the words for pants were banned in good society. The thing ended up in the fact that they began to be officially officially titled “unspoken” and “inexpressible” in stores.

Men's trousers were sewn in such a way as to hide from the eyes the anatomical excesses of the stronger sex: in the course were pads made of thick fabric along the front of the trousers and very tight underwear.

As for the ladies' pedestal, it was generally exclusively forbidden territory, the very outlines of which were to be destroyed. Huge hoops were worn under the skirts - crinolines, so the lady's skirt easily took 10-11 meters of matter. Then tournaments appeared - lush lining on the buttocks, designed to completely hide the presence of this part of the female body, so that the modest Victorian ladies were forced to walk, dragging cloth priests with bows, protruding half a meter back.

Victorian family
“At the head of the middle Victorian family is the patriarch, who later married a virgin bride. He has a rare and restrained sexual relationship with his wife, who, exhausted by the constant birth and adversity of marriage with such a difficult person, spends most of her time lying on the couch. Before breakfast, he organizes lengthy family prayers, flogs his sons with rods as far as possible, keeps his daughters uneducated and ignorant of anything, expels pregnant maids without payment and recommendations, secretly keeps his mistress in some quiet place and probably visits minors prostitutes. The woman is absorbed in caring for the household and children, and when the husband expects her to fulfill marital duties, “lays down on her back, closes her eyes and thinks of England” - because nothing more is required of her, for “the ladies do not move.”

Gender relations
Victorian achieved the least success in the ethics of relations between the sexes and family life, as a result of which about 40% of English women of the so-called "middle class" of this era remained unmarried all their lives. The reason for this was a rigid system of moral conventions, which led to a dead end for many who wanted to arrange a personal life.

The concept of mesalliance in Victorian England was brought to the point of absurdity. For example, nothing at first glance prevents the marriage of the descendants of two equal noble families. However, the conflict that arose between the ancestors of these families in the 15th century erected a wall of estrangement: Gilbert’s great-great-grandfather’s great-grandfather’s act made in the eyes of society the gentlemen of all subsequent, innocent Gilbert.

Open manifestations of sympathy between a man and a woman, even in a harmless form, without intimacy, were strictly prohibited. The word "love" was completely taboo. The limit of frankness in the explanations was the password “Can I hope?” and the review “I have to think.” Courts were supposed to have a public character, consist of ritual conversations, symbolic gestures and signs. The most common location mark, designed specifically for prying eyes, was allowing the young man to carry the girl’s prayer book upon returning from Sunday services. The girl, who at least for a minute remained in the room alone with a man who had no officially declared intentions towards her, was considered to be compromised. An elderly widower and his adult unmarried daughter could not live under the same roof - they had to either move around or hire a companion to the house, because a highly moral society was always ready to suspect a father and daughter in unnatural relations.

The British, led by the burgher queen, were filled with what they liked to call “bourgeois morality” in Soviet textbooks. Shine, splendor, luxury were now considered things not quite decent, fraught with perversity. The royal court, which has been the center of freedom of manners, breathtaking toilets and shining jewels for so many years, has become the abode of the person in a black dress and widow's cap. The sense of style also forced the aristocracy to slow down on this issue, and it is still widely believed that no one dresses as badly as the higher English nobility. Saving was elevated to the rank of virtue. Even in the houses of Lords, from now on, for example, they never threw candle cinders; they should be collected, and then sold in candle shops for overflow.

Modesty, industriousness and impeccable morality were prescribed to absolutely all classes. However, it was quite enough to seem to be the owner of these qualities: they did not try to change the nature of man here. You can feel whatever you want, but it was extremely not recommended to betray your feelings or to commit inappropriate actions, unless, of course, you valued your place in society. And the society was arranged in such a way that almost every inhabitant of Albion did not even try to jump a notch. God grant that there is enough strength to stay on the one that you are occupying now.

Inconsistency with their position was punished mercilessly among the Victorians. If the girl's name is Abigail, she will not be taken as a maid in a decent house, since the maid should have a simple name, such as Anne or Mary. The footman must be tall and skillfully move. A butler with an illegible pronunciation or too direct gaze will end his days in a ditch. A girl who sits like this will never marry.

Do not wrinkle your forehead, do not put your elbows, do not sway when walking, otherwise everyone will decide that you are a brick factory worker or a sailor: they are just supposed to walk that way. If you drink food with your mouth full, you will no longer be invited to dinner. Talking with a lady of age, you need to slightly bow his head. A person who so clumsily signs his business cards cannot be accepted in a good society.

Everything was subject to the most severe regulations: movements, gestures, timbre of the voice, gloves, topics for conversation. Any detail of your appearance and manners should have eloquently yelled about what you are, or rather, trying to represent. The clerk who looks like a shopkeeper is ridiculous; the governess dressed up as a duchess is outrageous; the cavalry colonel should behave differently than the village priest, and the man’s hat speaks more about him than he could tell about himself.

In general, there are few societies in the world in which the relationship of the sexes would please an outsider with reasonable harmony. But the sexual segregation of Victorians is largely unparalleled. The word "hypocrisy" here begins to play with new bright colors. The lower classes made things simpler, but starting with middle-class citizens, the rules of the game became more complicated to the point of emergency. Both floors got to the fullest.

Lady

By law, a woman was not considered separately from her husband, her entire condition was considered his property from the moment of marriage. Quite often, a woman also could not be the heiress of her husband, if his estate was a major.
Women of the middle class and above could only work as governesses or companions; any other professions simply did not exist for them. The woman also could not make financial decisions without the consent of her husband. Divorce in this case was extremely rare and usually led to the expulsion of a wife and often a husband from a decent society. From birth, the girl was taught always and in everything to obey men, to obey them and forgive any tricks: drunkenness, lovers, family ruin - whatever.

The ideal Victorian wife never reproached her husband for a word. Her task was to please her husband, to praise his dignity and to rely entirely on him in any matter. Daughters, however, the Victorians provided considerable freedom in choosing spouses. Unlike, for example, the French or Russian nobles, where the marriages of children were decided mainly by parents, the young Victorian woman had to make her own choice and with wide eyes: her parents could not marry her by force with anyone. True, they could, until 24, prevent her from marrying an unwanted groom, but if a young couple fled to Scotland, where they were allowed to get married without parental approval, then maman and dad could not do anything.

But usually young ladies were already trained enough to keep their desires in check and obey their elders. They were taught to seem weak, gentle and naive - it was believed that only such a fragile flower could make a man want to take care of him. Before going to balls and dinners, young ladies were fed for slaughter, so that the girl did not have a desire to demonstrate good appetite with strangers: an unmarried girl was supposed to peck food like a bird, demonstrating her unearthly airiness.

A woman was not supposed to be too educated (in any case, to show it), to have her own views and generally to show excessive awareness in any matters, from religion to politics. At the same time, the education of Victorian girls was very serious. If the boys calmly sent the boys to schools and boarding schools, then the daughters were supposed to have governesses, visiting teachers and to study under the strict supervision of their parents, although there were also girls' boarding schools. True, girls were rarely taught Latin and Greek, unless they themselves expressed a desire to comprehend them, but otherwise they were taught the same as the boys. They were also especially taught painting (at least in watercolor), music and several foreign languages. A girl from a good family should certainly know French, preferably Italian, and usually the third language was German.

So the Victorian had to know a lot, but a very important skill was to hide this knowledge in every way. Having acquired a husband, the Victorian often produced 10-20 children. Contraceptives and miscarriages, so well known to her great-grandmothers, were considered so monstrously obscene things in the Victorian era that she simply had no one to discuss with them.

Nevertheless, the development of hygiene and medicine in England of that time kept alive 70% of newborns that were record-breaking at that time for humanity. So the British Empire did not know the need for gallant soldiers throughout the 19th century. ”

Gentlemen
Receiving a submissive creature like a Victorian wife around his neck, the gentleman swelled to the fullest. From childhood, he was brought up in the belief that girls are fragile and tender creatures that must be handled with care, like icy roses. The father was fully responsible for the maintenance of his wife and children. He could not count on the fact that in difficult times his wife deigned to provide him with real help. Oh no, she herself would never dare to complain that she was missing something! But Victorian society vigilantly ensured that husbands dutifully attracted the strap.

A husband who didn’t give his wife a shawl, didn’t move a chair, did not take her to the water when she coughed so badly all September, a husband who made his poor wife leave for the second year in a row in the same evening dress — such a husband could put an end to his future: a profitable place will float away from him, the necessary acquaintance will not take place, they will communicate with him in the club with icy politeness, and his own mother and sisters will write indignant letters to him with bags every day.

The Victorian woman considered her duty to be sick constantly: good health was somehow not to the face of a true lady. And the fact that a huge number of these martyrs, always moaning on the couches, survived to the first, or even to the second world war, having outlived their husbands for half a century, cannot but amaze. In addition to his wife, the man also bore full responsibility for unmarried daughters, unmarried sisters and aunts, widowed cousins.

Moreover, this norm changed over time towards mitigation. The "Law on Custody of Minors" in 1839 gave mothers with a spotless reputation access to their children in the event of a move or divorce, and the "Law on Divorces" of 1857 provided women with opportunities (rather limited) for divorce. But while the husband had to prove only the adultery of his wife, the woman was obliged to prove that her husband had committed not just adultery, but also incest, doubleamy, cruelty or desertion from the family.

In 1873, the Law on Custody of Minors expanded access to children for all women in the event of separation or divorce. In 1878, after an amendment to the Law on Divorces, women were able to seek a divorce due to ill-treatment and claim custody of their children. In 1882, the “Law on the Property of Married Women” guaranteed a woman the right to dispose of property brought by her into marriage. Two years later, an amendment to this law made the wife not an “movable property” of the spouse, but an independent and separate person. Through the Law on Guardianship of Minors in 1886, women could be made the sole guardian of their children if their husband died.

In the 1880s, several ladies' institutes, art studios, a women's fencing club were opened in London, and in the year Dr. Watson married, even a special women's restaurant, where a woman could easily come unaccompanied by a man. Among middle-class women, there were quite a few teachers; female doctors and female travelers appeared.

In the next issue of our "Old New England" - about how Victorian society differs from the Edwardian era. God save the king!
Author emeraldairtone , for which many thanks to her.

The status of women in the Victorian Era often seems to us to be an illustration of the striking discrepancy between the national power of England, wealth, etc., and social conditions for women. The 19th century is the time of the technical, scientific and moral revolution in England.

The technical revolution led to an increase in the well-being of the nation: after the “hungry 40s”, when a huge part of the population was miserable, in the 50s England went up sharply economically, forward, towards a civilized market, the number of rich and affluent people grew, strengthened in the middle class — the bulwark of a civilized state — increased numerically in its positions. By the 50s, the “moral revolution” was ending, which had changed the national English character. The British ceased to be one of the most aggressive, cruel nations, becoming one of the most restrained.

The industrialization and urbanization of English society entailed serious changes not only in the manufacturing and economic spheres, but also in the sphere of public relations at all levels without exception: between a man and a woman, adults and children, priests and parishioners, employers and employees.
With the growth of well-being, many middle-class women, whose mothers and grandmothers, helping their husbands, took an active part in the family business, were "removed" to suburban homes. Here their life was limited to the private sphere, and their activity was aimed at raising children and housekeeping.

The legal sphere.
Legislative Reform of 1832 approved a certain social status of the woman. For the first time in English history, the term “male person” appeared in the legislative act, the use of which allowed parliamentarians to deprive a woman of the opportunity to participate in elections, citing the fact that citizens whose interests are part of the interests of other citizens (male persons) should be denied political rights. In the category of such citizens were children, as well as women, whose beliefs should always have been consistent with the beliefs of their fathers or husbands.
The latter meant the absolute dependence of women, not only legally and economically, but also politically. In every sense, the woman was an addictive creature, especially a married woman, whose property, income, freedom, and consciousness almost entirely belonged to her husband.
By law, the rights of a married woman were the same as those of her children. The law regarded a couple as one person. The husband was responsible for his wife, and had to protect her by law; the wife had to obey him. The property that belonged to her as a girl was now transferred to her husband, even in the event of a divorce. The wife’s income also belonged entirely to her husband, as did the right to custody of the children, in which case the father left. He was entitled to prohibit any contact between mother and children.
The wife could not conclude a contract on her behalf, she required the consent of her husband.
However, there were pluses. For example, a wife could not be punished for such offenses as theft, since it was believed that she acts to entice her husband. It was impossible to blame the woman for the fact that she robbed her husband, because before the law they were one person.

No less significant in shaping the idea of \u200b\u200bthe social status of women was the widespread dissemination of evangelical ideas. In the 1790s an evangelical movement for moral reform arose that propagated the Doctrine of True Femininity. This idea “led to a narrowing of the very concept of“ female nature ”: such distinguishing features as fragility, simplicity, purity, tenderness, kindness, patience, affection, etc. began to mean that a woman belongs only to the house and should serve the family, which she acts as a morally ennobling force. "

Woman in the household.
The term “Home Hearth General” appeared in 1861, in Isabella Beaton’s book “Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.” She writes that a housewife can be compared to an army commander or president of an enterprise in order to achieve respect, success and comfort for all family, she should conduct business prudently and thoroughly. The landlady in the house should be able to organize servants, entrust them with tasks, control them - which is not an easy task. She should arrange dinner parties and evenings to maintain the prestige of her husband, and also invite to the house but at the same time, she must be sure that she devotes enough time to children, and also engages in her own self-education and improves her abilities and knowledge (with one hand stir the soup in the kitchen, with the other, darn the children’s socks, the third, apparently , turn over the pages of a book).
Mrs. Beaton assigns an important role to a woman in maintaining the psychological climate in the house. In addition to the fact that a woman should look after the sick in the family, and at normal times, she should be gentle, sweet and tolerant, her manners are soft and affectionate. And God forbid something to bring the anger of her husband.

The role of the mother, the guardian of the hearth and the respectable Christian was not limited to the family. The woman was given moral responsibility not only for her husband and members of her family, but also for people below the social ladder: her servants and poor families living in the neighborhood.
The woman turned out to be the central link in the organization of the social life of the estate belonging to her family and most often acted as a philanthropist. In the light of the idea of \u200b\u200bpatronage, which was increasingly being strengthened in the public consciousness, which charged aristocrats with concern for people depending on them, charity was perceived as a duty of women. This was, according to many, the woman’s special mission “... to expand the influence on all segments of the poor population, which they extend to the majority of the lower classes for the common good of this country,” the reverend father wrote in 1855. Brewer. Many women realized that for such charitable activities they should not wait for gratitude, on the contrary, they themselves should thank providence for the fact that they were given the opportunity to help people. “Great property,” said the Duchess of Northumberland, “makes a person feel that more needs to be done to justify the existence of this property.” Countess Mintou wrote that "she never experienced such pain as when ... there was no way to fulfill her duty." To demonstrate the good of family life, to squander kindness, to help, through charity, narrow the gap between the “two nations” of the rich and the poor, was considered almost exclusively a women's mission.

The body of a woman.
A woman should always be neat and clean, except maybe during menstruation. Her body was seen as a sort of stronghold of purity and integrity. The woman was not supposed to use any makeup and jewelry, or even wear clothes that showed skin, and there was no question of showing stockings or underwear. Some believed that such draconian rules were common due to the fact that the woman’s body was considered as the property of her husband, which means that the woman could not show her bodies to other men. On the other hand, the same rule applied to men - they were also not supposed to use cosmetics and jewelry, or wear open clothes. So we can say that Victorian morality affected not only women, but also men.

Woman and sex.
Sexual and ethical restrictions were widespread in the country, and double morality developed. The attitude — well-mannered ladies do not move — suggested that “women from society” surrender passively, immobilized, without emotion, even hiding an orgasmic experience and without any sensory impulses (in bed, as in a high-society ritual). This was due to the interpretation of Christian morality, the norms of which, as you know, condemn any sexual manifestations not related to procreation.
  Husband and wife go to bed. Before going to bed, the husband began to fulfill his conjugal duties. Suddenly he stopped and asked:
  - Honey, I, by chance, did not hurt you?
  “No, but why did you decide that?”
  “You just moved now.”
  According to the Victorian ideal, a gentleman at a certain age falls in love, makes an offer of a hand and heart, goes down the aisle, and only then, in the name of procreation, from time to time performs sexual intercourse with his wife, preserving complete equanimity.
  Prostitution, meanwhile, was not forbidden; it was an acceptable phenomenon. Although such women were not considered to be people, however, they looked at a man who uses the services of a prostitute quite calmly, this was generally accepted.
If the husband suspected his wife of something immoral, he had every right to drive his wife out of the house, and this was the most common reason for divorce. When appearing on the street, the woman often had no other choice but to kill herself and trade herself. Thus, a woman could not have sex with anyone other than her husband, but this prohibition did not apply to men. It was considered quite natural if he wanted another woman, this was not even a proper reason for divorce (and really, some little things - then everyone would have been divorced for a long time :)). Women could not behave this way. The most important and valuable thing for them was their reputation, and it was so easy to lose, as soon as rumors spread that she was a fallen woman!
Education.
Of course, the education of a woman was very different from the education of a man. A woman had to know only the necessary things in order to lead the house and raise children. Typically, women studied such subjects as history, geography and literature, sometimes Latin and ancient Greek. Women who were interested in physics, chemistry and biology were simply laughed at.
The path to universities was closed to women. It was believed that training is contrary to their nature, from which they only get more sick and generally go crazy. No one disputes that grazing cows in a meadow is healthier than spending hours on the Internet and writing stupid articles mdczrbt.

For a number of reasons, among which the most significant were the parliamentary reform of 1832, and before that the liberal ideas of the French revolution, the idea arose in the minds of the Victorians that it was necessary to reconsider issues related to the woman’s social status and her rights. The women's issue was at the center of an ideological conflict between democratic notions of
personal rights and the traditional perception of social - role relations within society.
In 1869 widely received work of J.S. Mill “Subjugation of Women” (“The Subjection of Women”, 1869), the author of which makes an attempt to reasonably prove the inconsistency and fallacy of the principle firmly established in the minds of Victorians that regulates social relations between two sexes: legalized subordination of one gender to another. This principle, according to Mill, was erroneous and impeded all social development and therefore needed to be seriously revised and replaced by the principle of complete equality proposed by the author of the work, which did not allow any privileges for men and restrictions on women's rights.

The order of release
Millais

When we devote our youth to God, "tis pleasing in His eyes - a flower, when offered in the bud, is no vain sacrifice.
William Powell Frith

Hunt
The awakening conscience